


You're On

by kaydeefalls



Category: Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: M/M, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-11-28
Updated: 2002-11-28
Packaged: 2017-10-14 04:55:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/145593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaydeefalls/pseuds/kaydeefalls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dominic and Elijah settle down for a little chess game during a break from shooting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're On

**Author's Note:**

> My first improv fic! Had to incorporate the phrases "Do you trust me?", "I wish I had said", and "More than I did." Time limit: 30 mins. I must admit it took me 32, but I couldn't leave off mid-sentence! And much gratitude to Lydia for finding my stupid mistakes.

"Dom," Elijah said, very seriously, "didn't anyone ever tell you to NEVER play chess against B.K.?"

Dom glared at him. "Sod off, will you?"

"I mean, Christ, he had your queen in six moves..."

"Hey, it's not like you've ever beaten him!"

Elijah smirked. "You lost by more than I did. I mean, way more."

"Sod off," Dom repeated. Typical fucking Elijah, rubbing salt in the wound. Not that Dom had ever fancied himself a master chess player or anything, but still. The rather immediate nature of his defeat was a tad humiliating.

The kid hadn't shut up yet, as if he ever did. "Take that move with your knight. That was just plain stupid. You left your bishop wide open, and--"

"Will you just shut your gob, already?" Dom demanded, feeling his ears go hot. "You're no better at the bloody game than I am."

Elijah leaned a sharp elbow on Dom's shoulder, eyes gleaming. _I dare you._ "Is that a challenge, Dommie boy?"

"Damn straight it is." They exchanged a long, calculating look, then raced each other over to B.K. and his chess set.

Elijah got there first. "Hey, B.K., mind if we borrow this for a sec?"

The little man crossed his arms, glaring up at the pair of them. "Oh, no you don't. What you gonna do with my chess? You no good at this game."

Dom slung an arm across his shoulders -- an interesting sight, given the height difference. "C'mon, mate, it's just a little bet we've got going."

"Yeah," Elijah chimed in, even though there'd been no talk of betting before. "Loser buys the whole cast drinks at the pub tonight." No small stakes. The Fellowship alone could drink your average liquor store out of business in a few hours.

B.K. opened his mouth to protest, but Dom was already setting up the board. "You're on, Lij."

Several other cast members were gathering around to watch. It was a slow day, shooting-wise -- one of the big lights had blown a bulb, or something, and they were all waiting for it to be fixed. "My money's on Elijah," Sean Astin said with a little smile. "I taught him everything he knows."

Kieran laughed. "And when's the last time YOU beat B.K., Mr. Big Shot?"

Their voices faded into a distant background noise as Dom tuned them out. Fuck the stupid drinks; this was his skill on the line, his honor as a chess player! And, well, something about the little I-dare-you gleam in Elijah's eyes intrigued him.

After about five minutes, it was blatantly obvious that they were both complete amateurs. Only experts and idiots can accomplish so little so quickly. Dom only knew enough to keep his major pieces protected, while Elijah played chess as though it were checkers -- take as many pieces as you can, and strategy be damned.

The "spectators" were giving them both very important advice, randomly calling out things about rooks and squares. Dom and Elijah ignored them.

"Would you stop taking all my fucking pawns?" Dom demanded in exasperation. "They're practically worthless, y'know."

Elijah grinned across the board. "It's all a part of my master plan, Monaghan. Just you wait." He heaved an overdramatic sigh. "I wish I had said something more interesting for the stakes. If I'd known I was gonna win this easily..." There was a flash of _something_ in his eyes, making Dom shiver. He couldn't look away.

Finally, Dom shook his head, breaking the moment. "Not bloody likely, mate." He blocked an aggressive black bishop's path to his white queen.

A black knight skirted around the protective rook, inching closer to the queen. "Nice try," Elijah said. His eyes glittered.

Dom glared at him. "No, you don't," he muttered under his breath, sacrificing the rook. It's for a higher cause, he silently promised the defeated piece. He rallied his remaining pawn and a couple of knights to the queen's defense.

A techie called Elijah's name. "Could we get our Frodo over here? We're almost ready to start."

"Shit," Elijah breathed, slamming a black pawn down to face off a white knight.

"We could finish up later," Dom suggested.

Elijah shot him a skeptical look. "What, and leave you alone with the chess board to rearrange all my pieces? No, thank you!"

Dom smiled sweetly at him. "Do you trust me, Lij?"

"Fuck no!"

"Elijah!" the techie called again.

Another black pawn hurriedly slipped closer to the white queen and her knights. "Let's finish this."

Dom took the opportunity to capture an unattended black knight.

Elijah shifted a pawn away from the white queen. "Check."

Where the fuck had THAT come from? Dom blinked at the board, hastily moving his king out of danger.

A black bishop snaked into an open square. "Check."

The white king migrated again.

That final, forgotten black pawn inched forward. "Check and mate." Elijah's eyes practically glowed at Dom from across the chess board. Dom swallowed hard.

Sean clapped Elijah on the back. "Told you so," he crowed to no one in particular.

While B.K. hurriedly reclaimed his precious chess set, and snickering cast members began placing their drink orders for the night, Elijah sidled up to Dom. "Good game, man," he said lightly. "But never underestimate the power of the pawn. You never saw me coming, did you?"

 _No, I didn't._ Dom caught Elijah's arm as he started to head over to the techie. "Lij."

Elijah turned back, glancing at him curiously. "Yeah?"

"What would the stakes have been if you'd known you would win?"

After a beat, Elijah grinned at him, leaning in so that his face was mere centimeters away from Dom's. _I dare you,_ his eyes said. "Guess we're gonna have to have a rematch, huh?"

"You're on," Dom said, once he remembered to breathe. Elijah winked at him and walked away.

And since Dom obviously wasn't any good at chess anyway, he figured that next time, he might as well play to lose.


End file.
